"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, ESV)
In Paul's day, the Jews thought they were better than the Greeks and the Greeks thought they were better than the Jews. Both were wrong. The free people considered themselves better than the slaves. The slaves thought themselves better than the free people (making their slavery even harder to bear). Both were wrong. The men thought they were better than the women and the women thought they were better than the men. And again, both were wrong.
Everyone was and is equal in Christ. No one had or has any business looking down on someone else. Paul cites three examples from Galatia that still trouble us today. Let us be clear. Racism in all its forms is an abomination. Slavery (and its modern form human trafficking) is reprehensible. Gender bias and discrimination is abhorrent. These are but three horrors: there are, sadly, many more. Let us commit to put an end to these and other such monstrosities in our individual lives. This begins with you and I. We are all the same in Christ.
Paul identified three rifts in the people of Galatia: Jew/Greek, slave/free, and woman/man. What rifts would he find in your world? Whom do you regard as less equal? Upon whom do you look down? Pray that God would change your heart. Who regards you as less equal? Who looks down on you? Pray that God would change that person's heart.
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